


Legacy Of Legends

by pcyheartgirlx



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, EXO Planet, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-05-31 11:35:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15118553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pcyheartgirlx/pseuds/pcyheartgirlx
Summary: "We are only one if we are twelve.”Whatever happened to a normal life? All you wanted to do was move out of the ghetto with your boyfriend and two best friends, Azura and Kat. But things took a drastic turn when your boyfriend died. When you and your best friends decide to backpack through Asia, you find that you aren’t just ordinary college graduates. That your life serves a greater purpose and that the fate of the world rest at the hands of you, your 3 friends and 9 men that call themselves The Legends.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. This is my latest and newest fic and it’s quite quite different from the last series. There isn’t going to be as much smut in this fic but there’s a lot of really cool scenes and scenarios I’m extremely excited to write about. Anyway, enjoy guys. Small warning, there are character deaths in this fic/prologue. I am an avid OT12 stan but for the sake of this fic, it is what it is. lol

“Kyungsoo! Minseok! Look out!” Jongdae screamed from across the battlefield. The red eyed robot, RF-05, was fixing it’s aim at the stone structure where to the two crouched behind.

“Fuck!” The titanium metal claw broke through the stone wall and sent Kyungsoo flying back, crashing into another broken stone wall behind him, the remains of their castle.

“You’re okay, Kyungsoo. You’re okay!” Minseok cried as he crawled over to him. “We just have to get the shield charged, that’s all Jongdae has left.”

“I don’t know how much longer we can last,” Kyungsoo winced, rubbing the back of his head and clutching his gun closer to him. “Can you see Kris anywhere?” Minseok and shook his head and raised his wrist up to his mouth.

“Sehun! Luhan! Do you have eyes on Kris?” Minseok whispered into the watch while Kyungsoo looked over their make shift shelter, eyeing the robot’s next move.

“He’s still circling the battleground. Next to head out are myself and Luhan,” Sehun spoke into the walkie as he shot blindly at RF-05, also crouched behind another stone structure, what was left of the castle wall.

“Sehun,” Luhan started as he clutched his gun close to him. “Now’s our chance.”

“Not yet!” Sehun grabbed onto Luhan’s elbow, forcing the blonde to look back at the black haired man who had worry brimming in his eyes. The sounds of laser guns being fired and the kinks and metal gears running filled the atmosphere. Their comrades were scattered all over the robot crouching and plotting behind what used to be gigantic stone structures. Sehun and Luhan covering Jongdae as he constructed a reflective shield, Baekhyun and Tao on it’s left waiting for the next move, Junmyeon on right with Chanyeol and Yixing who were next to create a distraction and Jongin who had just ran over to where Kyungsoo and Minseok were hiding to check if they were okay. Kris was on the motorbike, trying to keep an eye on the enemy at all angles.

“Sehun, it’s distracted! We have to take this chance!”

“Kris hasn’t give us the okay yet! We can’t just go out blindly!”

“I’m going!”

Luhan turned away, darting with confidence as he lifted his weapon to aim at the giant robot in from of him. Junmyeon, who was to create a diversion by darting across the battleground, was only mid way through, when the robot heard the footsteps behind him. Instantly, the robot snapped to his side, flashing it’s red eye at Luhan who stood below.

“Not today, Rowanel,” Luhan snarled shooting his laser straight for the red beam, but that titanium claw shot across it’s front, deflecting the shot Luhan was so sure of.

“Get out of there! Now!” Jongin called as he ran passed the field to get to Luhan, but it was too late. Luhan was swept off his feet and in the clutches of the robot’s metal claw. Luhan was constricted, trying to wriggle his body free as he stared into the eye of the robot watching the beam change colors.

“Light blue!” Tao cried from the left, doing his best to aim for the arm of the robot.

“Frost! It’s going to freeze him!” Baekhyun popped up from where he was standing, picking up where Tao left off so he could recharge his laser.

Right before the 11 men’s very eyes, they saw Luhan’s complexion dull, turning his glowing skin into a purple hue while he froze in the clutches of the enemy. Kris came zooming past the robot. But the robot remained unfazed as Kris did circles around it.

“Guys! A-Aim...f-f-for th-t-t-h--” Luhan’s jaw locked in place, not being able to control the stiffening of his frozen body. Luhan was now immobile. His carnal body just a shell of frost, lifeless and colorless. When the robot was done with him, he tightened his grip around Luhan until the man cracked under it’s clutches, breaking him into pieces as if he was just an ice cube.

“Luhan!” Kris cried as he watched his friend fall to the ground in pieces. Everyone’s breathing stopped. You could hear Sehun wailing from his spot and Chanyeol calling out to his fallen friend. But still, they were in battle and they had to keep fighting. “Everyone! Plan B!” Kris called out, tears started to well in his eyes.

_Plan B._

It was time for Tao to shine. Everyone except for Tao and Jongdae made their way over to Chanyeol, Yixing and Junmyeon. Kris drove past the robot, creating sharp turns and even reversing backwards to create a diversion for the rest of the group to get to their position. Once Kris noticed they were all where they needed to be, he signalled Tao to commence the plan.

“Tao! Now!”

“Hey, You red eyed piece of shit! This is what you decided to come back as? A bunch of gears?!” Tao jumped up from behind the stone and shot at the robot, knowing damn well it would just be reflected off it’s titanium claw. The red eye gleamed at Tao, causing him to swallow hard but never falter. He kept shooting, waiting for Kris to come through on his motorbike and save him.

Kris sped to Tao, pushing down on the gas with all his strength to gain as much momentum before the robot had a chance to grab Tao. The plan was to have Tao create a distraction while everyone ran to one side of the battlefield. Kris would race to him, scoop him up before the robot decided to kill him and they would meet their brothers over on the other side. When RF-05 was ready to attack, Jongdae would jump out with the shield he had been building, reflecting the robot’s attack and destroying it. In that, they hoped their orbs would remain safe. The orbs that contained their power. The orbs that RF-05 stole from them.

But the minute Luhan died, the whole group became uneasy and unsure. It caused a ripple in their confidence. If one of them could die, then any of them could die. Kris kept that in mind as he sped closer to Tao who was emptying his laser charge on RF-05. But the closer Kris got, he saw that red eye power down, blinking an array of colors as the claw deflected Tao’s attacks.

“He’s changing powers!” Kris screamed over to his friends who were grouping toward the right. “Be prepared!”

“You fucker,” Tao muttered as he noticed his laser charge powering down. Kris was only a few feet away when the Red Eye changed into a golden color. Tao lowered his weapon, his muscles were tense and he was about ready to jump up on the robot and rip it’s gears out. “You’re using my power against me!? Who do you think you are?!”

In that moment, the moment Kris was about to grab Tao and throw him over the back of the motorbike, the moment where Tao was about to let all his offensive go for even thinking about using his power, that was when time froze. But only for Tao and Kris and the debris that surrounded them.

“We have to go save them!” Chanyeol started for the opposite side of where he was huddled, only to have Yixing and Junmyeon grab him arm before he left the group.

“Chanyeol, we cant!” Junmyeon used all his strength to bring the tall man down to his behind while Yixing put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from running away. That was a moment Chanyeol would regret for the rest of his immortal life. As the 8 peaked over the wall, they saw their friends frozen in time and the claw of the robot turning, as if changing it’s setting.

“Almost done!” Jongdae called from the side. “Prepare to get in position!”

“Copy!” Baekhyun responded, clutching onto Yixing beside him as they watched the claw manifest was looked like a ball of fire, turning the claw into a steaming mess.

“He’s going to burn them! Jongdae please hurry!” Sehun cried through bitten back tears. Chanyeol wanted nothing more than to bolt over there but the way Yixing and Junmyeon held him back, all he could do was scream. A scream that could have been heard all over the planet as he watched Tao and Kris become engulfed in the flames sprouting from RF-O5’s claw. All 9 of them watched, their hearts being ripped from their chests and tears pooling in their eyes. They had just lost Luhan; and now Tao and Kris.

“That’s it,” Kyungsoo growled, wiping the tears that were running down his face. “I’m going out! Jongdae! Hurry the fuck up!”

“For Luhan!” Sehun screeched as he followed Kyungsoo to the front of their hiding spot. Jumyeon nodded, still in shock but with determination as he motioned for the rest of them to take position. Once they all were facing the robots, 8 laser guns went off continuously, creating dents against the white metal, bouncing off the titanium arm. They huddle together, protecting whatever was left of them, whatever was left of EXO planet. And if they were to die, they were to die together.

It wasn’t until Red Eye’s claw started to rotate, almost using the momentum to create a large blue electrical current just as it had created the fire ball that killed Tao and Kris. The 8 stood there, never seizing fire before Minseok spoke.

“If we don’t make it out of here!” he screamed over the sounds of their lasers going off simultaneously. “Just know I love you all and I couldn’t have asked for better comrades!”

“We’re going to win!” Chanyeol snarled as he kept shooting.

“For our fallen brothers!” Jongin’s voice was loud and cracked, holding back a sob as he kept shooting, his aim wavering.

“For EXO Planet!” Yixing followed, his finger constantly pulling back that trigger, never taking his guard down. Until now when they were all forced to. The claw set in front of them, the blue energy in it’s metal palm gaining more strength and doubling in size. The 8 of them huddled closer together, holding their guns up and watching as their fate was nearing. It wasn’t long before the blue energy separated, coming at them with speed and pure vengeance.

But when they opened their eyes, they saw Jongdae, standing there with the shield that had taken him almost an hour to construct. An hour of battle that felt like a lifetime

“That was a big mistake, Rowanel.”

What the robot didn’t know is that Jongdae’s shield was constructed with replication technology they had borrowed from a distant planet. Just as they borrowed the watches that opened the line of communication for them and the laser guns they were now using to shield themselves with. As Jongdae held the the metal construct up toward’s RF-05, another blue light started to glow. This time is was coming from Jongdae’s shield and shooting directly toward the robot.

That was the last of RF-05.

It was an explosion that shook the whole planet. Jongdae ran for cover, while his comrades did the same as pieces of RF-05 shot through the air, flying and landing wherever gravity allowed it to. There was smoke, dust from the battlefield and an aura that was almost calming. RF-05 was defeated...but who had really won this battle?

When the smoke and dust cleared, that’s when the fact settled in. Luhan, Tao and Kris were dead. Junmyeon scrambled to his feet and ran over to the charred bodies of Kris and Tao.

“No, no no no no no,” Junmyeon chanted, kneeling over their remain or what was left of them. Somewhere else on the battlefield, Sehun threw himself over Luhan’s cold cracked body that was shattered into pieces. The only thing audible in this world was Sehun’s cries and loose gears still turning on the ground.

“Yixing!” Sehun pleaded at the man standing beside him. “You have to bring them back! Please!” Yixing looked over at Jongdae, who was covering his mouth with his hand as he watched Sehun cry to him.

“I...I can’t.”

“Why not?!” Chanyeol boomed as he walked over to Luhan’s body and Sehun. Chanyeol knelt down next to Sehun, putting a hand on his back.

“You have to try,” Minseok grunted, dragging Tao’s body from behind the stone wall he was hiding behind before he died. Junmyeon followed, dragging Kris’ lifeless charred body along with him.

“I can try,” Yixing started. “But I don’t think I will be able to.”

“Their orbs aren’t here!” Baekhyun called out, digging through the rubble left RF-05 behind. Baekhyun picked up a white orb, closing his eyes as it shone brightly. The orb levitated from his grasp, shining brighter and brighter as it started for his chest, digging disappearing into his sternum. When the orb was absorbed, Baekhyun looked down at his hand. A faint and almost pained smile played on his face as his palm started to light up, closing it again as he looked over to the 8 men crowded around the dead bodies. He grabbed the 8 orbs that were coated in dust and brought them over to his comrades. “It worked. My powers are back.”

“Quick! Yixing!” Jongin pleaded, taking his grey orb and letting it absorb into his chest just as Baekhyun had done. As soon as the dull grey light emanated off his body, he snapped his fingers, disapparing into smoke before reappearing a few feet away from him, next to Kyungsoo. 

They all followed suit. Orbs all being devoured by their rightful owners before the light of their badge glowed off their bodies. The Legends were back...at least what was left of them.

“It’s not going to work,” Junmyeon said as a single stream of water seeped from his finger, running the dried blood off a cut that had healed during the absorption.

“Why not?” Chanyeol begged, crawling to Kris’ body while tears freely fell from his eyes. Kyungsoo looked down at the broken man, putting a hand on his shoulder before speaking.

“There has to be a way.”

Yixing knelt down next to Luhan, staring into his lifeless broken body. He ran his fingers over the cracks in his face, hoping to hear the chimes that followed the white mist permeating from his hand. But nothing. The cracks stayed separated and Luhan laid there as an empty vessel.

“Why isn’t it working?” Sehun sobbed, clutching onto the jagged pieces that were left of Luhan’s torso as he watched Yixing’s failed attempt.

“Because he died in his human form,” Junmyeon’s tone was full of melancholy, the droplets that clung to his cheeks where not a manifestation of the water legend through will. They were tears of sorrow and loss.

“Their orbs disappeared...so that means--”

“They’re gone. Forever,” Yixing sighed, finishing Baekhyun’s statement. The men all looked at each other, disbelief and defeat washing over them. Even though RF-05 was defeated and they all got their powers back, the universe was still at risk. Partially because Rowanel, the red eye of evil, was going to be back and they knew that. But what really set the universe fate in stone was the lost of 3 of the Legends. 3 of their comrades. 3 members of this small family.

“So what do we do now?” Chanyeol swallowed back a sob, grabbing what was left of Kris’ fried hand.

“We give them a proper funeral. Burn their bodies and mourn,” Kyungsoo stated, gripping his hold on Chanyeol’s shoulder hoping to comfort him.

“And the universe? The tree of life? How do we plant the seed? How do we stop the universe from dying out?” Jongdae pleaded, watching as Jongin broke down just as Sehun did, falling to his knees by Tao’s body. Junmyeon and Yixing walked over to each other, looking up at the starry sky and the two moons that hung over them.

“We don’t,” Junmyeon stated simply. Yixing bit his lip and ran his hand through his inky black hair.

“So...does that mean--”

“Yes, Jongin…” Baekhyun stood over the man who’s sobs started to get the best of him.

“It means we are all going to die.”

Even though Yixing stated this with the calmest tone and the utmost simplicity, the words were spoken in heightened volume, ringing in all 9 of their ears like a persistent siren.

It wasn’t long after that, the remaining Legends said their goodbyes to their fallen equals. Kuyngsoo used his strength to form vines that sprouted out from the dirt ground before them, wrapping them around the three bodies until they were completely encased. Chanyeol, crippled by grief and sadness, created an almost unruly fire. A circle pit of flames that crackled and popped as it roared over the silent cries from the rest of the 8 men, who were carrying the bodies over. One by one, they were thrown into the fire and watched until there was nothing more.

A cascade of ashes rose from the flames and 9 Legends said their goodbye that went uncommunicative but followed tears that expressed loud grief. As the ashes fell over them and the remaining land, Junmyeon caught Baekhyun looking over what was once their home, a Utopian castle formed by the greatest goods on earth, destroyed. Much like their fallen comrades, all was left was remains and ashes. Broken down walls they used as defense, rubble and glass had showered the beautiful grassy lawn and garden that was now a dirt land.

“We’ll just rebuild,” Jongdae said, catching the two men off guard. He came between them and put a hand on their shoulders. “In memory of Kris, Tao and Luhan.”

“W-we’ll build a bigger g-garden,” Sehun sniffled, wiping away the dampness on his cheeks as he started for the 3 men who overlooked their ruined home. “F-for Luhan. He lo-loved moving and plowing the field with Kyungsoo.”

“I think a bigger garden would look beautiful,” Junmyeon smiled sweetly at Sehun. It was a faint smile but it gave Sehun a sense of security. His best friend may have been gone, but he still had 8 other men who loved him just as dearly.

Suddenly, there was a shift in light. One that Baekhyun was not in control of. It was as if a surge dulled over EXO planet and the light flickered over them in  starry sky that blanketed this damaged planet. 9 noses and chins to the sky, they all watched as one of their moons started to dull. The moon that used to hover over them was now shining below a glimmer and pieces of what used to be a perfectly spherical mass was suspended in midair, deteriorating into the ebony sky.

“What’s going on?” Kyungsoo’s voice was small and almost inaudible. An unusual trait that the Legend of Force and Earth never typically had made a sudden appearance. Baekhyun put his hand up in the sky, trying to feed a source of light to the moon but it didn’t and couldn’t repair the damage that was already made.

Chanyeol sighed heavily, watching Baekhyun’s failed attempt to salvage their moon before coming to a sudden realization.

“It’s starting...the end is coming.”

The days went by with ease but the loss of their 3 comrades and the pain that followed only got harder. They rebuilt the castle, bigger and more secure than ever. This time, they were lucky enough to have kept their treasure safe. The treasure that holds the fate of the world. A treasure that cannot be used anymore.

It was pouring on EXO planet. Jongdae stood high above Mt. Mama, watching below as his hands outstretched in front of him. Lightening clapping against the grounds below him, Jongdae kept a steady eye on Sehun, who was standing on a boulder below him. The clouds started to move in sync with Sehun’s arms. To Jongdae, it was a beautifully choreographed and the way Sehun’s powers matched his own personality and quirks brought a small smile to his face. Sehun moved as fluid and as effortless as the winds did, creating the properties for the perfect storm. Then there was Junmyeon, who stood directly behind Jongdae. With just one motion downward, his hand falling gracefully at his side, the rain trickled down. Light at first, just as Sehun’s movements were, just as Jongdae’s first round of lightening. But as the men walked away, the storm picked up.

In a blink of an eye and the passing of a thick grey smoke, Jongin appeared, stopping the three men in their tracks.

“We were just heading back to the castle,” Junmyeon commented, taken aback at Jongin’s abprut appearence.

“The flowers are going to bloom so beatifully, don’t you think?” Sehun probbed, cocking his head to the side as he smiled at Jongin. But Jongin didn’t smile. In fact, he looked panicked.

“Jongin, what’s wrong?” Jongdae moved toward the man, trying to read him to his best abilities even though these days it was harder to for them to keep the psychic line of connection stable between them all. Jongin held his hand out, signalling for the 3 men to grab on to him before he brought his free hand up for a snap.

“Baekhyun...he senses the 3 missing orbs...and they’re on Earth.”


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cave and 3 orbs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see that this fic is having a slow start lol. It’s all good! I know once I get deeper into the story, y’all will have your minds BLOWN. Also I want to thank my ARMY readers who really hyped up Caramel Barkiato. :) I’m so grateful for you all BUT it’s EXO TIME :D :D :D MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE DAY <3 On with the fic.

_Nothing had ever felt more right than this moment.  
_

_The two of you stared into each other’s eyes in total bliss, smiling like complete idiots as his hand clutched yours just a little bit tighter. He ran his thumb over the top of your palm and you brought your free hand up to your face, tucking the stray hairs behind your ear. It was a surprisingly quiet night. You were sitting in Jermaine’s car, listening to whatever R &B ballad played on the car radio while the moonlight mixed with the single streetlight that hung above you poured into the car. This was you and Jermaine’s favorite spot. During the day, this was the hotspot for freight trains, bustling in and out of the only place in the whole city that still kept an ambiance that resembled something like the wilderness. Behind you was a plethora of greenery, shrubs and a few trees that stood tall over the car, the only thing between you and the railroad tracks beyond it. But the scenery behind Jermaine was a flat grassy terrain that went on for miles, outstretching into the highways that led you out of this dystopian city._

_“It’s about damn time I got you alone,” Jermaine’s tone was soft but you could sense the underlying frustration. You rolled your eyes slightly, bringing his hand up to your lips and brushing them against his fingers._

_“You better get used to it. When we go backpacking, Azura and Kat are always going to be around,” you giggled a bit, watching as Jermaine met your giggle with a smile._

_“I know, boo, I know. But I ain’t about to keep my dick dry either. I’ma have to set some ground rules, ya dig? Especially when we go to Sanya,” Jermaine cocked his brow at you, running a hand through his dreads as he bit his lip. You shot him a sly half smile, bringing his hand to your leg, guiding him up your inner thigh._

_“Oh yea? What’s going to happen in Sanya?” You asked confidently, shifting closer to him as he shook his head at you. Jermaine’s touch on your cheek sent the most violent chills up and down your spine and the way he examined your body before he looked into your eyes was more to you than just sexual serenity. Everything about him fascinated you, from his unruly unkempt eyebrows that you though exhibited so much character, to the way his snaggletooth poked through his full lips when he smiled. He narrowed his eyes at you and you’d be lying if you said the way his dreads hung over his brown eyes wasn’t your sexual awakening._

_“I’m going to make love to you in that cave, over that spring. The beauty of nature and the beauty of my girl,” Jermaine leaned in and locked his lips with yours, moving them slowly with grace._

_“And if there is no cave or no spring?” you mumbled in between kisses, causing Jermaine to pull away and look at you with the faintest annoyance in his brown eyes._

_“Then I guess this trip was for nothing,” he laughed as you smacked his arm. “Ow! I’ll just fuck you in the hotel and turn the sink on in the bathroom.” He winked at you and started thrusting his hips forward, making obscene noises as he did this. You smacked him again, laughing loudly at him._

_“You’re an idiot!’_

_“But you love me.”_

_You put a hand on his shoulder, turning him back to you as you cupped his neck._

_“That’s right,” Jermaine leaned in as you said this, licking his lips as the space between you got smaller and smaller._

_“Say it,” his breath tickling your nose as he whispered. Your lips were a centimeter away, the corners turning up ward into a smile as you took this moment in._

_“I love you.”_

_Everytime you kissed, fireworks went off. Even in the night sky, through your eyelids you saw light peering in. His hands roamed your body and you grabbed onto his shoulders, preparing yourself for what would happen when his hand reached between your thighs. But then that light got brighter and for a moment it puzzled you. Still locked against his lips, you opened your eyes and looked around you. For once, it wasn’t fireworks that light up the inside of your eyelids and you pulled away from Jermaine instantly._

_“Jermaine what is that?” You asked frantically as you tapped violently against his chest._

_“Huh?”_

_The both of you watched as it rolled down the road in front of you. It was a shopping cart squeaking passed you but what took you both back was not the fact that it was a cart but that fact that it was engulfed in flames. Jermaine sat upright in his seat, watching it through his rear view mirror as it got closer._

_“Fuck that, we’re out of here,” Jermaine threw his seatbelt over his shoulder and motioned for you to do the same. As you turned your body away from him, you didn’t know that was the last time you would look into his eyes again._

_“Yo! What the fu--”_

_**BANG.** _

_Glass showered over you and you felt the splash of hot liquid on your side. When you turned over to check on Jermaine, your life was over. He was draped over the center console, gasping and choking for air while blood spilled out of a hole in his chest, soaking him and you in crimson as you pressed your hand against the hole._

_“That’s not him, blood!”_

_“Aw shit, run, boy, run!”_

_“Where he at though? You said that was him!”_

_“It don’t matter, I fucked up! Leggo! Leggo!”_

_His shooters ran from the scene of the crime and you sat there sobbing and screaming, blood spilling onto you as you watched the life leave Jermaine’s body._

You shot up from bed, wiping yourself off frantically as if the blood still stained your skin. It wasn’t blood, it was just sweat. And you weren’t in Jermaine’s Honda, you were in your hotel in Sanya, sheets clinging onto you and your soaked body.

_It was a nightmare...that’s all._

It wasn’t just a nightmare though. It was a recurring memory that no matter how hard you tried, it would find you like the darkness finds the night. As you pushed yourself up from bed, you felt your body ache. It could be from the day you had yesterday, walking throughout Nanshan Temples until there was nothing left to document. Or even when the three of you hiked through Yalong Bay, taking pictures of everything that met your eyes. But you’ve felt this pain before. It wasn’t manifested by anything you had done in the past 2 months, it was the mental and physical toll that grief put you through.

It had been a year since Jermaine was killed. A couple of thugs mistook him for someone else on their hit list and shot him right in front of you. Maybe you could have saved him, you thought. Maybe if you didn’t beg him to take you by the tracks and you were somewhere in closer to the city. Maybe if you had just stayed home like your gut told you to. There were so many maybes. So many things you thought you could have done differently. One of the things you were sure of was maybe things would be better if it was you that went instead of him.

As you jumped into the shower, you thought about what would happen if it was you that went instead of Jermaine. Would Azura and Kat drag him to finish the book you two were supposed to write together? Would Jermaine still be interested in seeing the wonders of Asia? You hoped that the water would wash away the questions that plagued your mind. Instead, you ran your hands over your body, closing your eyes as your mind took you to a time when you and Jermaine would be showering at some sleazy hotel after hours of making love. No matter where you were with him, he always found a way to make you feel special, feel like a princess, feel like you were the only girl in the world.

You would do anything to feel that with him one last time.

“(Y/N)!” Azura’s voice was muffled behind the bathroom door. Shortly after, you heard the door open and her voice echoed in the room. “Are you sure you want to go today? We can just go to the beach and stuff. Kat thought it’d be a good idea since we’ve been traveling non stop for the past couple of weeks.” Although it wasn’t entirely wrong, you saw the intention behind her worrying. The Legend’s cave was the part of the journey that you and Jermaine were most excited for. Living in Jersey City Heights, there was always commotion on the streets. You couldn’t remember a time where you could go out without having to carry a small knife in your bag. The Legend’s cave was rumored to be one of the most serene places in the world...of course if you could find it.

“We can talk when I get out,” you replied sweetly, trying to swallow the sob in your throat. “I mean really though, can I shower?” Azura could tell you were trying to mask raw emotion with poor humor, so she sighed and walked out of the room, leaving you to your memories.

X-x-x

“So, tell me about this cave again,” Kat probed as you two walked through the lobby of the resort. “Because it’s still confusing to me.”

“Kat, I told you like a million times,” Azura scolded, adjusting the straps of her backpack before flattening down her purple t-shirt. The smaller girl chucked, crossing her arms over her tight green tank that fit snugly against the curvature of her chest.

“And I wasn’t listening a million times, duh--OW!” Kat let out a pained cry, rubbing her arm where Azura had smacked her. You laughed to yourself as the 3 of you got outside.

“Listen up then, Kat because I’m not going to repeat myself,” you snapped playfully at her, extending your arm out into the street to call a cab. She rolled her eyes at the statement, pulling down her shorts before the cab pulled up in front of you.

“Where to, ladies?” The cab driver asked while the three of you plopped and scooted inside the back seat.

“The forest in Baoting, please.” The driver nodded at Azura, waiting for you all to buckle your seat belts before taking off.

“The Legend’s cave is supposed to be in the heart of the forest. The lore of it is that it’s the oldest cave in China. It was written in a fortune teller’s diary that a single branch was growing there and that just that small twig was connected to the tree of life itself. If you could see the branch with your own eyes, you were able to tap into the powers of the 12 elemental Legends. When The Great Qing of the Qing Dynasty heard about it, he sought out to find it because, hello? Who wouldn’t want the power of the 12 Legends, right?”

“Wait, 12 elemental legends?” Kat scrunched her nose in confusing and started scratching her head. “I thought there were like 4 or 5 elements, no?”

“It was never really specified. The only thing that it mentioned about the elements and the Legends are that the only people that can see the branch are the Legends themselves. When The Great Qing found the cave, he saw there was nothing but a mound of dirt in the middle of a small spring. So he called bullshit and killed the fortune teller.”

“Well that escalated quickly,” Azura responded flatly causing you to shrug and smile.

“That’s so dark and twisted. I like it,” Kat shook her head and started toying with the frayed strings of her jean shorts.

“Yea, me and Jermaine did a project on it our freshman year in college,” the two looked at you with a small twinge of worry but you shook your head. “I’m just happy we’re going. And I can’t wait to go home and write about all of this.” Azura put a hand on your thigh, squeezing it tightly as she grinned at you softly.

“You know Jermaine would be so proud of you, right?”

“Yea, especially since you got to drag me around with you with minimal complaints.”

“Minimal?” Azure gave Kat a side glare and spoke to her through clenched teeth. You smirked at their bickering, fiddling with your thumbs as you looked down.

“Hey,” Kat called out to you, snapping your head in her direction. “Azura’s right. I know shocker-ow, bitch!” Kat glared at Azura who had just pinched her thigh. “No but really, Jermaine’s somewhere up there in heaven, chilling with Michael Jackson and Tupac telling them what a powerful and intelligent girl he has who speaks 6 languages, is traveling the continent, writing a book and has a whole entry level job offer from the NY Times waiting for her when she gets back to Jersey. Oh also, you got some big ol’ tiddys.”

“I hate you for saying that,” you stifled a laugh, astonished by audacity that Kat had. Azura just rolled her eyes and slumped in her seat, smiling as wide as Kat did who was basking in her comedic glory.

There’s a saying that says, “Your friends are a reflection of who you are.” And you couldn’t be happier than having Azura and Kat in your life. They both shared the same struggle as you did, growing up in the same shitty city with a yearning to leave and explore the vast Earth around you.

Azura was only a few month younger than you but sometimes, her intellect and the ability to retain information made her wise beyond her years. That’s if you’re lucky enough to catch her attention for more than a few minutes. She was a free spirit, always yearning for more and constantly creating. From music, to writing, to painting. Sometimes she would be MIA for hours, only to find her couped up in her room with paint all over her arms and a canvas that showed her expression of her current life. Her father was a drunk and her mother jaded and lost somewhere at the depth of her Xanax bottle always saw their daughter but never really saw Azura. They were too busy getting their fill and fighting to ever let the beauty of what they created to ever light their dark tainted lives.

Kat and you were only a week apart, which made her believe she was as wise at Azura but showed it in her own unique way. You both joked and called her a “Shade Queen” as her humor included boasting about her self and how she was too valuable for this world. Most people saw her as pretentious and superficial as she always let her materialistic side show. But you and Azura knew her long enough to know that it was just a mask. Her parents were very strict and had high standards for their only daughter. If it wasn’t the best, then it wasn’t acceptable no matter how hard she tried. Kat was smarter than she let herself on to be and kinder than most people believe. She was the only person that had ever started talking to you as if you were a person.

You were sometimes jealous of your friends. Granted their families were broken and twisted but at least they had someone to come home to, someone they knew loved them in their own sick way. When your father was deported, it was like he completely forgot he had a 5 year old daughter and wife back in the United States. Your mother was broken for years, finding love in all the wrong places and made that her priority. She figured if your father could live his old life, so could she. The only problem with that though was that you were still in the picture, in need and yearning for love and affection. You lived alone up until you were 16. Up until you met Jermaine. The love of your life.

Jermaine was 2 years older than you, lost and living on the streets of New York until one day he came up to you and asked you for a dollar outside of the coffee shop you bought your morning donut from. You looked at him and something drew you to him. You weren’t sure if it was just because he was cute and charming or because he was about to be one of the greatest things that happened to you. Instead of a dollar, you bought him a donut,  _your_ morning donut and before you left, you handed him a book; The Book of Understanding by Osho. Everyday since that day, he waited for you outside that shop, book in hand ready to discuss what he had learned. Until one day, he wasn’t there. He was in the front of your English class being introduced as a new student. He always told you that you were his will to finish his education, that you were the reason he started working as hard as he did. Jermaine used every cent he had to find you two an apartment by the time you were 17 and the two of you lived together happily through your last years of high school, through your whole college experience and then some years after...until he died.

As you pulled up to the forest, driving passed the touristy resorts and the small village surrounding it, you realized that months of hiking through China, hours of walking through the streets in Tokyo and Osaka, days of taking in all the scenery in Korea was being wrapped up in this final stop. You took your camera out as Kat paid the driver, stumbling out of the cab with the utmost anticipation.

“We made it, bitches!” Kat exclaimed as the cab drove away. You smiled and looked at the rainforest in front of you, sighing deeply before taking your first step.

“How long do we have to walk?” Azura asked, coughing and swatting her hand at the air around her. Kat was drowning herself in OFF and taking a sweater out of her bag. “A sweater!? We’re going into a rainforest!”

“I have sweet blood!” Kat cried out as she run to catch up with you two. “The bugs are going to be eating good tonight if I don’t cover up and I can’t allow that.”

“That’s the only thing sweet about you,” Azura mumbled.

“It’s about a 20 mile walk. That’s what? An hour or so?” You replied, pushing a branch out of your way as you walked deeper in the forest.

“Um...an hour to and back right?” Azura swallowed as she walked behind you.

“Uh...not exactly,” You stopped for a second, pulling out the map from your pocket as you gripped the camera in your right hand.

“(Y/N)! Are you serious!? Nope, nah. I’m going to go down the road and wait for you at the resort we passed by,” Kat crossed her arms and turned around, threatening to walk away. Azura’s mouth hung open for a second and she walked over to you slowly.

“(Y/N), Listen. I know this means a lot to you but...that’s a 2 hour hike. Maybe 3.”

“I know! And I’m sorry! But I promise tomorrow we can do anything you guys want! Even if it’s staying in the hotel room until 5 in the afternoon watching really bad Chinese TV shows,” You begged while you clung to Azura’s arm, giving them pleading eyes at you pointed behind you. “I need to do this...for Jermaine.” There was a silence between the 3 of you. Birds in the distance seemed louder, animal that ran in the deepest depth of the forest where within ear shot. But the twigs snapping underneath Kat’s feet were booming through your ears as you smiled wide.

“Okay, fine. This is the last time you’re going to use the dead boyfriend card on me, though,” Kat mumbled as she walked past you. Azura shot her a disapproving look before you started running behind Kat.

“I’m going to let that shitty bitch ass comment slide because you’re agreeing to come with me,” Kat rolled her eyes at your eagerness, knowing damn well the way you bounced in joy and the smile on your face was the happiest you’ve been in a whole year.

“Yea, yea, yea. Lead the way, Marco Polo.”

It wasn’t the longest hour in your life. Maybe for Azura and Kat, but every second seems to fly past you just as the tropical birds overhead did. Kat even sounded like one every time she saw a bug climbing up the sleeve of her sweater. After about what seemed like the 30th time Kat screeched, Azura stopped in her tracks causing you to stop as well and look back.

“Wh--”

“(Y/N), we’ve been walking for an hour and I’m tired. Tired of walking, tired of the heat, tired of Kat’s constant screaming and whining--”

“Hey, go fuck yourself, Z.”

“They’re just bugs! Literally! And you’re imagining 90% of them!”

“I can  _FEEL_  them on me. I told you I--”

“You have sweet blood. You know how stupid that sounds?!”

“Guys…”

“Well, you would know a lot about stupid Ms. Second Honors.”

“That was only ONE semester!”

_“Guys…”_

“One semester put you at a 3.9 instead of a perfect 4. I can’t relate.”

“You know what, bitch--”

**“GUYS!”**

_“WHAT?!”_ They both yelled in your direction. You had a smile plastered on your face and when you turned to your side, there it was. How they both didn’t see it baffled you but nonetheless, there it was. At the base of a gigantic cliff was an arch leading into darkness. Vines and moss adorning the sides and in that moment, you felt it. It was an ethereal bliss that penetrated your core, silencing the two behind you as they walked forward on either side of you in awe.

“So uh...did we come to stare at it or…” Azura trailed off as she looked at the two of you, grabbing the straps of her bookbag and tugging on them slightly. You bit your lip and for a second you were frozen.

“Flashlights! We need flashlights!” Kat marveled as she started to dig in her bag, Azura following suit as if anticipating someone to make the first move. You knew for sure it wasn’t going to be you. There was a feeling of accomplishment that you had never felt before. It was sweet and your mind had never been more at ease. It had been years that you had dreamt of this moment so vividly and part of you felt like you were having an overwhelming case of dejavu. But you knew this was real life. You knew that moment you could only see when you were asleep was finally real. And you knew this because you never came here without Jermaine in your dreams. Just in reality.

_I did it, babe._

“Hey, you alright?” Kat said in a tone so soft it almost seemed foreign. When she put a hand on your shoulder, it was like a ton of bricks fell on top of you. Reality came crashing down on you again and you were here. In front of the Legend’s cave.

“Yea, I’m alright,” You reassured, starting to take your backpack off. “I just...can’t believe we made it. It’s surreal and--” As you pulled your flashlight out of your bag, you saw Azura turning toward you.

“Jermaine would be so proud and he’s been with us the whole way, babygirl.”

The only thing you could do was shoot her a half smile. There was a feeling in your gut that agreed with her. Jermaine would be proud and happy that you got to live out both your dreams. But this moment was supposed to be with him. He anticipated this moment just as much as you had. He needed to be here in a physical form, not spiritual. As you gripped the flashlight and took your first step toward the darkness ahead, your half smile turned into a full smile up at the sky then back at your two friends.

“Let’s go!”

“How long is this cave?” Azura asked as the three of you made your way inside, being completely engulfed by the darkness. Your flashlight stayed fixed forward so that the damp, barely lit pathway could illumante whatever was waiting for the three of you ahead.

“I’m not sure, to be honest,” you admitted, turning to the right of you into the continuation of the cave.

“Oh well that’s fantastic. We could be walking for another hour for all we know,” Azura quietly mumbled to herself. Her voice barely echoing in the hollowness that surrounded you.

“At least there are no bugs,” Kat sighed in relief, the light from her flashlight shining on the walls as if to clarify that her statement wasn’t false.

“No,” Azura smirked. “But there could be rats.”

“Why are you such a foul bitch?”

“Don’t ask me, I learned that from you,” Azura cackled even through the pain caused by Kay smacking her bicep. Times like these you would giggle to yourself or just smile faintly as you rolled your eyes. But all your senses were being put to use and nothing could snap you out of it. They continued to bicker though, making it hard for you to hear the sounds and channels of the tunnel ahead.

“I can probably have you arrested for assault!” Azura cried.

“I’d love to see you try.”

There it was. It was distant but distinct. But you knew that the feeling blossoming in the pit of your stomach was validated.

_Running water._

That wasn’t the only thing running anymore. You started toward the sound, leaving your friends behind in protest as they tried to keep up. This time, their voices didn’t muddle over the water. It was as if all of your energy was focused on that one sound. As it got louder and you got closer, you ran through the zig zagged tunnels while your flash lights combined with the two behind you, darted across all the walls of the cave. Then, you came to a halt.

“(Y/N)! What the fu--oh shit.”

Kat couldn’t even finish her sentence when the realization hit her. The three of you made it. The spring started from a crack on the wall of the cave with a stone that jutted out right below it. You imagined it to be much bigger and vast but the body of water it hovered over was something like a pond. Big enough for the three of you to fit but small enough to restrict any wild life from inhabiting it. The one thing that caught the attention of you and your friends was the mound of dirt right in the middle of the pond. You walked slowly toward it, examining it carefully with your doubting eyes. From the small patch of land stood a 3 foot branch that slanted to the side a bit, as if it was falling over.

“T-that branch,” Kat stuttered while you and her shone your flashlights on it. “I thought you said that only Legends could see it. Are we--”

“No,” you sighed. “Someone must have put it there to keep the story alive. But still....” As you marveled at the sight, the spot light from Azura’s flashlight was traveling the perimeters of the spring.

“That’s the only explaination. There’s no way that could have grown here because there’s no light,” Azura pointed out, walking closer to the spring with her head turned upwards, looking for any way light could have poured out from the tall stone structure above you. You tried to watch her, half hoping to find some form of light source that could beam down on the twig below but you couldn’t tear your eyes away from the spring, the pond, the mound.

“It’s smaller than what I had imagined,” Azura continued. Kat walked over to the pond, kneeling on the ground and sticking her hand in the water.

“It’s beautiful,” you exhaled heavily, the sight before you pulling all the air from your lungs. But as you studied the branch that stuck out from the dirt, something caught your eye, and Kat’s aswell.

“Look! A leaf just sprouted! This is it! This is the tree of life! And this!” Kat started to splash her face with the water. “The fountain of youth! Holy shit!”  _Splash._  Azura shone her flashlight on Kat and despite the darkness, you could see the scowling glare she directed at her.

“You’re out of your mind. That leaf was probably there the whole time!” Azura walked over to the two of you and stood over Kat.

“No it wasnt! I saw it! So did (Y/N)! Right?” Kat turned to you with desperation but mentally, you knew she was right. The both of you saw the green sprout grow from thin air and blossom open into that small leaf. Azura was being rational though. How could it have grown without sunlight? It brought you to a conclusion.

“It was a long walk over here in the heat. Our eyes must have be playing tricks on us, Kat,” You stated simply, walking over in complete shock but masking it very well.

“Both of us!? The same trick?! I don’t think so, (Y/N). You both are making me feel crazy!”

“Because you are,” Azura scoffed, grabbing Kat by her bookbag and pulling her upward. “Come on, stand up. This isn’t no fountain of youth.”

“I’m telling you it is!” She defended, swatting Azura’s hand away frantically. Suddenly, you caught a flash in the corner of your eye. You wanted to dismiss it as one of their flashlights bouncing off the walls but you had a voice whispering in the back of your head. It was telling you that you weren’t crazy and that leaf blossomed out of nowhere. That the light you just saw was something unexplainable. Your eyes started darting everywhere, scanning the cave and the spring for that light. Until…

“What the fuck is that?” Azura pointed downward, passed the water that Kat was kneeling over. The three round orbs of light shone brightly at the bottom of the pond. Although the body was small, the depth of the water surpassed the physical expectation. It had to have been 10 feet deep or less. You couldn’t really tell because the lights started to surface slowly.

“I told you I wasn’t crazy!” Kat screeched, started to get on her feet. “There’s something weird about this cave! We should go--”

“No,” Your tone was stern as you watched the orbs come closer and closer. “This is all probably just a trick.”

“More reason to get the fuck out of here!” Azura surprisingly agreed with Kat, trying to grab you by the wrist and pull you away. You snatched your wrist, kneeling down just as Kat did.

“No. I didn’t come all this way to run,” You spat, sticking your hand in the water and reaching for one of the orbs that started to float towards you.

“(Y/N), don’t--FUCK!” Kat fell back when she saw an orb shoot up to your hand the minute you reached for it. Your eyes widened, pulling your hand out of the water as the two other orbs floated on the surface of the water. Although there was a ripple causing the water to wave from side to side, the orbs defied the laws of nature and stood in their place, pulsating just as the one in your hand did.

“Pick one up,” you commanded, in almost a monotone voice. The orb in your hand, adorned with what looked like the outline of a dragon, emanated more of a glow than a shine. The grey halo of light spilled through the spaces between your fingers. In the water, a light green orb with an engraving of a small circle in the middle of 6 other circles around it and a golden orb that almost glittered with an hourglass that remained half full floated movingly.

“Hey! Don’t listen to her! She’s losing it!” Azura cried as Kat reached down next to you, hovering her hand over the orbs. As she did so, the light green one shot up out of the water and into her palm, clutching it tightly as he eyes widened as round as the orb.

“Shut the fuck up,” Kat whispered to herself. “I don’t care if this is a trick. I’m keeping it. It’s cool as fuck.”

“Alright, the both of are delusional. Suffering from a heat stroke. I have water in my bag. Here let me just--”

“Pick the god damn thing up, Azura,” Kat spat, bringing the orb up to her face. “It’s a souvenier. And it’s free. So fuck it.” You know Kat believed there was more to it than that. None of this was as simplified as she was trying to make it seem. You didn’t believe it either but...you needed to find out what would happen if the 3 orb were out of the water and in all three of your hands. Azura groaned and sighed heavily, dropping her bag to the floor as she hovered over the remaining orb.

“Touching things in some dirty old pond,” Azura grumbled. “Fine...but only because I love gold.”

It’s hard to explain what happened next. Even you couldn’t believe what you were seeing. The orbs flew out of your hand and up above you. A small whimper of protest escaped your lips as well as your friends. They started to pulse more rapidly and as you locked your gaze with it, you felt the same pulse in your chest. Like your heart shot up to your throat and you could feel every beat. The orb...was in sync with your heart beat. And then, there was crack.

“Guys….I think we fucked up.”

The second Kat finished her statement, the orbs became transparent, humming as the power made the cave shake around you. You broke your gaze, looking over at your friends who looked equally as mortified. Kat started breathing heavy and Azura was backing away slowly. Your time in the cave was over. Not at the expense of you and your friend’s safety.

“Run!”

When the three of you turned to the exit, you saw a sihloutte of a man at the end of the tunnel causing you to clutch on to Kat on your side, who grabbed Azura by the wrist.

“Who the fuck is that?!” Kat cried. You started to shake with the cave, turning as you saw the orbs float closer to the three of you.

“We have to go! Fuck that guy! He’s probably the one playing this trick on us!” Azura snatched her wrist away from Kat who froze in protest.

“Don’t!”

“Hey asshole! This light show is pretty fucking lame so you can stop trying to scare us because it’s not--AH!”

“AZURA!”

A golden beam of light shot her from behind, sending her forward onto her knees as it poured into her. When Kat called out to her, she half jerked forward in a motion so quick you couldn’t stop her but a string of light green light did, piercing into her just as the golden light did to Azura. You didn’t know what posessed you to turn around toward where the orbs were and the only thing you were able to do was shout.

“STOP!” 

But it was too late. The grey light fused into your chest, stopping you in your tracks as everything became engulfed in a white light. Your eyes rolled back and in a split second, you saw everything and nothing at the same time. 12 men, 2 planets, fusion, a war, blood washing over you and a fierce burning sensation taking over your body. You thrashed on the floor, listening to the screams of your friends beside you. Those screams pierced your ears and then they faded into a louder scream. Except it wasn’t a scream at all...it was a booming roar.

When you came to, your body was drenched and paralyzed in utter pain. It took all the energy in your body to turn to your side, watching Azura whimper and cry in fetal position while Kat hugged herself wailing uncontrollably.

“It’s so cold! It’s so cold!” She chanted in pain. You tried to reach out to her but there wasn’t enough energy in you. You shook violently as you felt your skin bubbling at the heat that was engulfing you. You were dying...being burned alive by an imaginary fire you couldn’t see. Over the screams and cries coming from your friends, you heard footsteps approaching. This must have been your murderer, the person who made it their mission to kill those who entered the cave. How stupid could you have been? If you had just listened to your friends, they wouldn’t be here on the floor of a cave somewhere in the middle of China, screaming to death. Your fate...was just as similar to Jermaine’s fate. This was the end.

As you let the pain take dominance and the footsteps came to a halt, you looked up him. There was a light emanating from his palm but you were almost sure that was a hallucination. The figurative light at the end of the tunnel to take you to the other side. Before you let death take you, you heard his soft and calm voice melting into your ear drums like honey seeping through the combs of a bee hive.

“Ladies...it’s time to go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baekhyun?! Is that you?! Lol. The next chapter is where the fun starts :) you know the first chapter is always full of boring character development stuff. And also some explanation behind Baekhyun’s appearance. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think. <3

**Author's Note:**

> HHHHHH i am really really nervous about posting this! Please let me know what you think, if you’re excited for this ff and if you’re just bored I guess. Don’t forget, I will be writing BTS one shots in between chapters and I’m totally up for requests depending on what they are :) Thank you for reading! <3


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